We have some good news for you all, the harbour will be reopened for club use as of Monday the 8th of June!

This means that anyone who is a member of the club will be able to go down to the harbour and paddle even outside of the Harbour master’s normal operating hours.

The points I outlined in my last email still stand regarding social distancing and cleaning club equipment etc so even though we are able to go out on the harbour please abide by the rules below. I’ve made some slight amendments to the points and added some more so please make sure to familiarise yourself with these. Any points applying to the cage near the Cottage Inn also apply to the ISO container which contains the Polo Kit:

No organised club trips/meetings

There will still be no organised trips with the club, this includes the Thursday night sessions. We will let you know in a separate email once these sessions can restart, but this won’t be anytime soon.

Always remember to social distance

If you are planning on doing any paddling trips, whether it is with the club kit or your own, and you will be accompanied by someone outside of your house, always remember to stay 2m away from each other. This applies within the cage as well as on the river. Be sensible with how you move about in the cage and touch as little as possible to limit the risk of spread. You are now able to go paddling in groups of up to 6 people.

Do not paddle if you don’t feel confident on the water

If you feel as though you aren’t 100% confident in your ability to get in/out of the water or to paddle in a straight line without wobbling and falling in then please hold off on going out just yet until the club restarts sessions normally.

Borrowing club kit

Club kit may be borrowed from the Cage by the Cottage Inn if you are a Gatekeeper however there are a few rules that need to be followed in order to do so:

Sanitise any kit borrowed with the sanitiser provided.

Only 2 people in the Cage at one time. The reason for 2 people is because some of the boats are stored high up and you will require assistance to get the boats down. Do not try and get a ‘difficult to reach’ boat on your own if you are planning a solo paddle. Seeing as we are now all allowed to go paddling in the harbour, there may be a large amount of people turning up at the Cage at once. If this is the case when you arrive, please wait outside the Cage for the people in there to finish getting their kit before you enter (always observing the 2m rule).

No changing in the Cage. I know this rule is already in place, but if you do need to change, please do so by your car and not in the Cage to limit your exposure to surfaces in the Cage.

Cleaning club equipment

If you do borrow any club kit, please clean it thoroughly before using the kit and once you return it. Please use high % alcohol wipes to clean down the kit to make sure everything is killed off. We will sort out a little stash of cleaning equipment and leave it inside the cage before Monday. You will, however, need to bring your own sanitiser to clean the lock because the cleaning equipment we will provide will be inside the locker.

Polo practice

Rules above apply to polo players wanting to use club polo boats from the ISO Container. However, since polo is a contact sport and until we receive further advice from British Canoeing, the club only recommends contact training between members of the same household. Furthermore, team games will not be organised by the club until further notice.

As Fran has already mentioned in an email, there will be a new gatekeeper code sent out tomorrow so look out for that email in your spam if you are wanting to go out.

This Notice to Mariners was issued by the Harbour Master’s office on Wed 3rd June.

BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL – CITY DOCKS

LOCAL NOTICE TO MARINERS NO 37

37/20 HARBOUR PHASED REOPENING COVID-19 June 20

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that from Monday 8 June, Bristol Harbour Authority will begin a phased reopening of the Harbour for leisure use. Harbour Authority working hours will continue to be 09:00 – 17:00.

We want everyone to be able to use and enjoy our Harbour in a safe and responsible way. At this time we must also consider the need for social distancing for our staff, and Harbour users, meaning some services and support had to change. As restrictions are eased we are working on a phased return to usual service which keeps everyone safe. Thank you for your patience as we adapt.

Phase 1: From Monday 8th June 2020 members from recognized clubs using manually propelled craftand sailing dinghiesonly will be able to navigate the Harbour.

These clubs have been notified by the Harbour Office. Clubs will need to follow their own guidelines and safety measures regarding COVID-19, and should refrain from activities not currently sanctioned by their relevant association. The clubs permitted to use the Harbour in Phase 1 may go afloat outside of Harbour Authority working hours providing the relevant Code of Practices are adhered to.

Phase 2: All manually propelled craft (SUP, Kayaks/Canoes, Dinghies, Rowing boats) will be able to navigate the Harbour and slipway will open. Navigation licenses will be issued from the Harbour Office only and payment should be made by card.

Phase 3: All permanent leisure berth holders will be able to use the Harbour for navigation.

Phase 4: Harbour reopens fully

Harbour users will be advised of movement through phases 1 – 4 by way of promulgation of Local Notices to Mariners. Enquiries regarding specific dates of phases should not be made to the Harbour Office.

Advancement through phases 2, 3, and 4 will be subject to continued Government relaxation of restrictions and improvement in the local and national situation regarding Covid-19.

The above only applies to leisure use and all current recognized commercial operators should contact the Harbour Office to discuss their commencement of operations upon the water.

A deteriorating situation will result in restrictions being reinstated.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying having slightly more freedom as we can now exercise more!

Unfortunately, even though we are able to exercise more, doing so as a group is still not possible. You can however go Kayaking with people in your household or with one other person as long as you comply with all the rules laid out by the Government such as social distancing. But for the foreseeable future, there will be no club trips being organised but boats/kit can be borrowed from the cage(£10/day for use anywhere other than the river Avon). Below I have outlined a few key points that anyone planning on using the club kit/facilities for their own leisure needs to be aware of.

Always remember to social distance

If you are planning on doing any paddling trips, whether it is with the club kit or your own, and you will be accompanied by someone outside of your house, always remember to stay 2m away from each other. This applies within the cage as well as on the river. Be sensible with how you move about in the cage and touch as little as possible to limit the risk of spread.

Bristol Harbour is closed for leisure use

This means that no one is able to access the water in Bristol harbour all the way from Cumberland Basin to Netham Lock. Please do not try to access the waters in the harbour, even if you are planning on doing so without any club kit.

Borrowing Club Kit

Club Kit may be borrowed from the Cage by the Cottage inn however there are a few rules that need to be followed in order to do so:

Bring your own Hand Sanitiser. We will not be able to leave hand sanitiser outside of the cage so anyone planning on accessing the cage will need to bring their own to use BEFORE and AFTER using the Combination Lock on the door and when touching any kit in the cage.

Only 2 people in the cage at one time. The reason for 2 people is because some of the boats are stored high up and you will require assistance to get the boats down. Do not try and get a ‘difficult to reach’ boat on your own if you are planning a solo paddle.

No Changing in the cage. I know this rule is already in place and as we are not able to go out on the harbour the chance of anyone needing to change is limited. But if you do need to change, please do so by your car and not in the cage to limit your exposure to club kit.

Cleaning club equipment

If you do borrow any club kit, please clean it thoroughly before you use the kit and once you return it. Please use high alcohol wipes to clean down the kit to make sure everything is killed off.

For the meantime, if anyone would like to host a virtual activity within the club(from training sessions to Ale tasting) you are more than welcome to! Just send an email out to the club with your suggestion and people will jump at the chance for some social interaction. There’s not much else going on right now!

Beginners Kayak Course 2019

This years Bristol Canoe Club beginners course will start on Monday 3rd June 2019 and run for four weeks. On successfully completing the course you’ll receive the British Canoeing one-star award.

The course is intended for adults who are thinking about taking up kayaking with the club and want to learn basic kayaking skills in order to get started. It’s important that you can attend all four sessions and be there at promptly at the 6.30 start time. All equipment will be provided. The cost is £80

This years Bristol Canoe Club beginners course will start on Monday 3rd June 2019 and run for four weeks. On successfully completing the course you’ll receive the British Canoeing one-star award.

The course is intended for adults who are thinking about taking up kayaking with the club and want to learn basic kayaking skills in order to get started. It’s important that you can attend all four sessions and be there at promptly at the 6.30 start time. All equipment will be provided. The cost is £80